Finally dry enough to do some digging ;-)
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Wow, you are quite ambitious, hats off to you! I would build a fire around it and sit down with a beer. I had one like that, after 3 years it had rotted enough for the tractor to handle. Aint it nice to be able to work nude!
Excavator's cost money and need a truck to tow it, and Doc say's I need more exercise anyway. And the fire idea was ruled out, as the stump was 7 feet from the 500 gallon propane tank. The stump took a little over 3 hours to dig out. The ash stump I did today was 8 hours to get it out and on the ground, back filling the hole tomorrow if not to sore ;-)
I AM impressed! As long as you got a hole... plant something :)
The main lawn mowing technician (Wife) is happy to see one less item to mow around. As you may be able to see the house is facing south. There were 33 other trees (3 years ago) blocking the winter sun from my portable solar hot air collector and windows. 6 more trees to go to the SE and SW for more free heat.
when you have acres to do, a good sized track hoe is called for. I put lot into getting access to one and got the more level areas cleaned up. But I'm backing off a bit on my stump digging in the more sloping land spaces, too much disturbance causes erosion. decided to just cut them low and plant fruit trees between the stumps, and got a new large trimmer/weed eater/brush saw. Which I will use on a regular basis (nude work of course) to keep the tree sprouts knocked back. Maybe come up with a mower to do the smoother areas faster. Keep it mowed long enough and the stumps will rot and grass take over. Right now I'm working on a skid steer, need to get it going to help me clean up areas and make fence row, put in a 6 ft chain link fence around 5 acres. Why chain link? we already have the old fence taken down from a highway reconstruction site. It was high quality fence when it was put in almost 40 years ago. It's old but still mostly good. Will use 10 ft posts and add wire to make an 8 ft fence. Deer and coon is my big garden pests. They eat almost everything I try to grow. A tight small mesh fence with electric wire outside it keep the coons out. And high enough the deer won't try to jump over. My farm site is way back in the woods, everything I do out there is done free of the cloth unless the cold dictates otherwise. A couple years ago I picked up an old new holland skid steer with dead engine. I rebuilt the engine, but it has issues from sitting too long. Trying to get those worked out and get it operating properly. I think it's almost there. The only real issue left is one side of a hydraulic valve not working properly. Something blocking oil flow in the valve or lines it appears.
As strange as it may seem, I actual enjoy this kind of work. It gives me a connection with and understanding of what my grand parents went through while clearing land for farming, using tools similar to mine and a team of horses. Where the trees are is already lawn, so any machinery larger than my garden tractor and Blazer would tear it up. This way I only have the hole's to fix, not the whole yard.
I've dealt with quite a few stumps over the years and when I can work nude, I do what you're doing. Just dig it out. But with clothes on, digging is just work (aarrghh!) to get done with shortcuts or any way to make it easier. In that case, I'd dig around it like you did, then cut off the stump an inch below ground level with a chainsaw. Might slow burn it a little lower using charcoal to eliminate flames or at least keep them low. Or if the propane tank is way too close, I might just leave the stump/roots an inch below ground level and fill in the trench around it. Drill holes down into it to help it rot a little faster, then sprinkle a little dirt on top to help the grass grows over it. A sink hole will develop as the stump rots so you might need to throw a little fill dirt in it now and then for a few years. But that's no problem and it'll eventually quit sinking.
Both holes back filled today, in 4" lifts and each lift packed with an 8" square hand tamper till full. Holes I did like this 6 Years ago are still flat, no sink holes. I like to cut the trunk about 6' high, once the side roots are cut off I hook a strap near the top, and the Blazer easily pulls it over and out.
Just want to get it done, with out having to go back years later and finish the job ;-)